In this unit, students will use skills acquired to begin to understand the importance of physics behind sound and light, and eventually waves of different types.  Today’s most advanced technologies are based upon the physics of sound and light waves.  Light is still used as universal symbols for things such as distress calls at sea, advertising an event, or stopping cars at intersections.  While seemingly simple technology today, future advancement in technology is reliant upon these basic phenomena. Students will have opportunities to build and apply their scientific knowledge through engineering practices as they create a fictional island using sound and light to show how people communicate. Students will use a variety of reading strategies in order to determine the main idea and key details, make connections and locate information in a wide range of text types.  Students will explain the differences between books that tell stories (fictional text) and books that give information (informational text) and be able to ask and answer questions about the key details in those books. Students will write and/or present informational pieces to inform/teach others about a topic of interest explored through shared research, in which the topic is named, facts are supplied and there is a sense of closure.

 I can plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate. 

 I can make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be seen only when illuminated. 

 I can plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light. 

I can use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance. 

Essential Questions

• How can light and sound be used to communicate? 

People use a variety of devices to communicate (send and receive information) over long distances; (People depend on various technologies in their lives; human life would be very different without technology.)

• How do light and sound move? How do we know light and sound move?

Light and sound are forms of energy and they travel in waves; (simple tests can be designed to gather evidence to support or refute student ideas about causes.)

• How is informational text different from fictional text?  How does what I read influence how I read?

Fiction and informational text are written for different purposes and are organized differently; effective readers use appropriate strategies to construct meaning and analyze texts and media for various purposes.

• How do the text features in informational text help me locate and understand the facts? How do illustrations and details help a reader understand a text?

Text features found in informational text are tools that a reader can use to help them understand the text; illustrations and details work together to help readers gain a full understanding of a text.

• How do I know which resources fit my needs?

Researchers draw on information that is acquired from a variety of sources and that answer questions about the topic being researched.

• How can I use my words to share my learning with others?

Writers/Speakers will often retell, sequence, and share information they have read/viewed in order to explain and/or teach.

• How should we respond when others believe differently?

When we accept differences and work collaboratively we create a respectful environment.